Auburn Hills, MI-A dispute between two young children at the Great Lakes Mall escalated into a shocking incident on Tuesday, leaving a 5-year-old girl hospitalized and her grandmother at the center of community outrage.
82 Year Old Grandmother Arrested For Spraying A 5 Year Old Black Girl In The Face With Mace
Kristen, 5, was playing in the mall’s children’s area when she snatched a toy unicorn from Bianca Robinson, also 5.
After Bianca tried to retrieve the toy, Kristen pushed her away, leading to a tug-of-war. During the struggle, Kristen fell and skinned her knee on the play area floor, crying as she ran to her grandmother, 82-year-old Gertrude Witherspoon.
Witherspoon, upset by her granddaughter’s injury, called the police and reported that Kristen had been assaulted.
When officers informed her that the incident did not warrant police intervention, Witherspoon took matters into her own hands.
Minutes later, she retrieved a bottle of mace from her purse, walked over to Bianca, and sprayed the child directly in the face while she played with another child. Bianca, who has asthma, began screaming and gasping for air.
Her mother, 25-year-old Lashonda Robinson, rushed to her aid, but chaos ensued as a bystander restrained her when she attempted to confront Witherspoon. Emergency responders were called, and Bianca was rushed to the hospital, where she is still recovering. Meanwhile, Witherspoon was briefly detained but released without charges, as police cited Kristen’s skinned knee as potential evidence of an earlier assault by Bianca.
The decision not to charge Witherspoon has sparked outrage, particularly in the Black community, with many alleging racial bias.
“This woman maced a child, and she walked away with no consequences,” said local activist Sharice Williams. “If Lashonda had maced Kristen, we all know she’d be in jail right now.” Protests and social media campaigns have emerged, calling for justice for Bianca and accountability for Witherspoon’s actions.
Community leaders are demanding an independent investigation, with many pointing to the incident as another example of systemic inequities in how Black families are treated in the justice system. Bianca’s family has expressed deep frustration, stating they are focused on her recovery while pursuing legal action against Witherspoon.
